Business / Companies
Supa Mandiwanzira breaks silence on data tarrifs increase
11 Jan 2017 at 15:35hrs | Views
INFORMATION, Communication Technology and Postal Services minister Supa Mandiwanzira has broken his silence on the data tarrifs increase debacle which was first implemented by Econet yesterday after a directive by the Postal and Telecommunications Regulatory Authority of Zimbabwe.
Despite the urgency of the matter which has seen Zimbabweans expressing their disgruntlement on social media, Mandiwanzira claimed in a casual Tweet today he was not aware of "what was happening" because he is on vacation.
After his not-so-official statement, Mandiwanzira temporarily disappeared from the microblogging platform as angry Tweeter users floored him and accused him of being the the worst ICT minister.
Pressed further on the decision to hike tarrifs, Mandiwanzira referred questions to an anonymous acting minister whose name he chose not to disclose.
"When a Minister is on leave, an acting minister is appointed," Mandiwanzira said without divulging the name of his reliever as raring Twitter users canvassed him with trite questions.
Ironically, Mandiwanzira went on vacation long after the tariff increase had been gazetted. His argument for the shared telecommunications infrastructure Bill was that it would drastically lower both data and voice tariffs.
The decision by Potraz to hike data tariffs, observers say, is thus not in sync with what the ICT ministry claimed when it tried to canvass public support for the Bill.
Despite the urgency of the matter which has seen Zimbabweans expressing their disgruntlement on social media, Mandiwanzira claimed in a casual Tweet today he was not aware of "what was happening" because he is on vacation.
#DataCost. Seen your Qs. I'm on leave until Jan 30 & out of the country since Boxing Day. On return to work, I will get to the bottom of it.
— Supa Mandiwanzira (@SupaCollinsM) January 11, 2017
After his not-so-official statement, Mandiwanzira temporarily disappeared from the microblogging platform as angry Tweeter users floored him and accused him of being the the worst ICT minister.
Pressed further on the decision to hike tarrifs, Mandiwanzira referred questions to an anonymous acting minister whose name he chose not to disclose.
"When a Minister is on leave, an acting minister is appointed," Mandiwanzira said without divulging the name of his reliever as raring Twitter users canvassed him with trite questions.
Ironically, Mandiwanzira went on vacation long after the tariff increase had been gazetted. His argument for the shared telecommunications infrastructure Bill was that it would drastically lower both data and voice tariffs.
The decision by Potraz to hike data tariffs, observers say, is thus not in sync with what the ICT ministry claimed when it tried to canvass public support for the Bill.
Source - www.thecitizenbulletin.com
